Knitting machine



June 2, 19,31. T. H. JONES 1,808,232

KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 9, 1929 Patented June 2, 1931 UNITED. vSTATasears Nr ortica? THOMAS HENRYJoNns, or wooDmHoRrE, ENGLAND KNITTINGMACHrNE n Appneation med M ay 9, 192e, serial No; 361,776,1anamGreatmnritam May 21; 1928.',l 'fV This invention comprises improvementsin or relating to knitting machines and refers to that class vof machineemploying bearded needles, the purpose of the vinven- -`5 tion beingtoprovide an improved-method of and means for pressing the needle beards.Heretofore in all methods vof pressing beards, such as by presserwheels, bars'and the like, the disadvantage exists in that in i0operation such pressers having a rubbing or frictional contact with theneedle beards and consequently wear down the beards and render necessarythe frequent Vrenewal of the needles.

An `important-object of the present invention is to eliminate thisdisadvantage, and with this object-in view the invention consists in theprovision in a knitting machine of needle pressing means which func- 2otion to press the needle beardsfor the requisite period without relativemovement between the beards and presser member .coacting therewith. Y

More particularly the invention consists 25 the provision in combinationof reciprocating bearded needles, a non-reciprocating part or partsspaced from the beards of said needles, and presser members which in theoperation of the machine are adapted to be sae reciprooated into and outof a'pressing pos 1t1on between said non-reciprocating partV and theneedle beards and duringV the pressing period to be moved in unison withthe needles.

For therpurpose of more fully describing the nature of this inventionreference will' the accompanylng drawconveniently'comprising a wire orthin strip' metal stem-.having at its vone end an enlarged or thickenedhead 2a preferablyl of elliptical section and at its opposite end alaterally projecting butt 27o which may be formed by 55 cranking` theend ofthe stem. V'lhis'butt 2b projects intofa slot or space 3 inth'ejneedle stem, which slot may be formed by providing on the needletwo lateral butts la spaced one vabove ,the other, said slot 3beingsuili- 60 cientl'y long Vto Vpermit of av predetermined degree ofmovement of the presserY butt-2?) within same along the'needle.Alternativelythe slot 3 torthe Vprfesserb'utt 2b-to move vin may beprovided by cutting or notching the 65 needle stem, as shown in FigureV4.

' During the customaryreciprocation ofa needle l within its trick,'thepresser 2 associated therewith is free to move relatively to the lneedleonly to an eXtent governed'by the 70 length of the" aforesaid slot 3 andthe thickness or width of the presser -butt 2?) working therein. .When,therefore, the needle descends, the presser 2 remains 'stationary -untilthe butt 2b thereon reaches the -upper `75 limit of lthe needle slot 3when the presser will'movev down in unison with the'needle. Also, whenthe needle 1 ascends,the presser 2 remains stationary until itsbutt'coacts with the lower-limit ofthe slot "3, after gg which thepresser is raised with the needle. AIn front lof the needle, i."e.y thebearded side thereof, at va position opposite tothe lower. end Vof thebeard when Vthe needle is partially lowered? and in its pressing posig5tion,'i. e.V the position 'shown in Figure f2,v is astationaryabutment4`whichf'1nay be of suitable shape in cross section,said abutment being so spaced from the needle l that while there is notpassing rooml for the fan-'90 larged end 2a of the pressermember 2 andan open beard, said enlarged end can passiV with'a closed beard; Y' e Inoperation, when the needle l1 is; fully raised to receivethread-an'dclear its loop, the e5 enlarged head 2a 'of the presser 2islocated above lthe Xed abutment 4 and spaced from the beard to permitvlaying of' the thread. On the downward motion of the needle the presserremains stationary until l.the butt`2b loc thereon is engaged by theupper1 limit of the slot 3 in the needle, the presser 2 being then drawndownwards in unison with the needle. During this movement the enlargedpresser portion 2a as it passes the fixed abutment 4 presses the needlebeard to permit of the existing` loop on the needle being drawn oversaid beard. The continued Vdownward movement brings the enlarged presserporpressers by the needles themselves, this mayV be accomplished bymeansoperating independently of the needles but functioning to move thepressers in the same directionand at the same speed as said needlesduring the pressing period. For example, a butt on the presserprojecting away from instead of towards the needle (as indicated at 5 inFigure maybe causedl to coactY with a suitable cam race for imparti-ngthe required reciprocation to the presser.vk Y

The presser portion 2a which coacts with the beard may be so shapedorgrooved that any beard tending to lie out of centre is brought to thecorrect position when pressed. Y

Ifjdesired a single presser member may be provided with an upperenlarged pressing portion-of suiiicient width to press thebeards of aplurality or group of needles simultaneously. v

lVhen applied td .a'circularn knitting mafl v chine the fixed abutment4mayv advantageously comprise a ring arranged concentrically withtheneedles and` supported i'rom` any suitable part of the machine.

I claimzl'. In a; knitting machine, reciprocable bearded needles, Ymeans for reciprocating said needles, a non-reciprocating part spacedfrom the needlebeards, presser members. forV the needle beards, meansfor reciprocating sald presser members into and out of a pressingposition between said non-reciproeating part and the needlebeard andmeans .l whereby the needles and presser members are moved in` unisonduring the pressing period.

2. In a knitting machine, reciprocable bearded needles, a carriersAl-idably accommodating said needles, reciprocableL needle pressermembers, butts on saidpresser members, said butts coacting with theneedles so that reciprocation'of the presser membersY iseiiected by saidneedles, al relatively stationar'y part,VA and said presserlmembersdur,-

Ition'aryl part, said-part being spaced a short distance from thebearded side of the needles projecting from the carrier, means wherebyduring lthe needle pressingperiodthe heads of the presser members areforced by Said stationary' part on to the needle beards and said pressermembers are moved in unison' with the needles, and means whereby duringthe initial and nal periods of reciprocation of the needlesy the pressermembers Aare retained` from movement.

4. In a knitting machine, a needle carrier, tricks in said carrier,bearded `needles re-v ciprocable in said tricks, needle-pressermembers,said presser members embodying stems with enlarged heads, said pressermemberl stems -being slidably accommodated with the needles in thecarrier' tricks, a relatively stationary part, said part being spaced ashortv distance from the bea-rdedl side of the needles projecting fromthe carrier, a butt on each presser member stem coactingwith 'arelatively largeror longer recess in a needle .so as to cause thepresser members to be reciprocated by said needles while permitting acertain amount of relative movement there' between, the `presser membersduring the needle pressing period being traversed in unison with theneedles and the presser member heads being forcedV by the saidstationary part on to theneedle beards, and the initial andflnal periodsof needle reciprocation being accomplishedV relatively to the pressermembers.k j

5. In a.v knitting machine, re'ciprocabley bearded needles, a trickedvcarrier slid'ably accommodating said needles, needlepressen lmembersalso slidably accommodatedin the needle tricks of said needle carrier, arela-v tively stationary part, enlarged head por*- tionsonsaidslidable-.pressermembers, butts on `said presser members, a'camvdevice coacting with said butts and operating to move the pressermembers during `the pressing periodin unison with the needles andduring; said movement to bring the 'presser member heads between thestationaryl part and the; needle beards so as-to pressthe latter.

6.V In a knitting machine, bearded needles, presser members for thebeards of the need les, and means for moving the presser means and theneedles longitudinally'V in 'unison during the pressing period, andothermeans operating whilethe said parts, are moving in unison to move thepresser means laterally to cross the beards of the needles.

7. In a knitting machine, bearded needles, means for reciprocating saidneedles, presser members for the needle beards, and relativelystationary means with which the presser members engage, said pressermembers embodying a part movable in unison with the needles during thepressing period, and said parts being movable to and held in thepressing position by said relatively stationary means.

THOMAS HENRY JONES.

